United Nations Development Programme Project Document for nationally implemented projects financed by the GEF Trust Funds Project title: Conservation and sustainable management of key globally important ecosystems for multiple benefits Country: Kazakhstan Implementing Partner: Forestry and Management Arrangements: Wildlife Committee of the Ministry of National Implementation Modality Agriculture (NIM) UNDAF Outcome: Outcome 1.3. Ecosystems and natural resources are protected and sustainably used, and human settlements are resilient to natural and manmade disasters and climate change CPD Outputs: Output 1. Selected settlements have adopted integrated models for sustainable growth Output 2. Disaster risk reduction plans and dedicated multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms in place in disaster-prone regions Output 3. Natural resources are protected, accounted for and integrated in national and/or sub-national development planning Output 4. National and sub-national institutions have strengthened capacities in environmental governance in protected territories and adjacent settlements UNDP Strategic Plan Output: Output 1.3: Solutions developed at national and sub-national levels for sustainable management of natural resources, ecosystem services, chemicals and waste. Output 2.5: Legal and regulatory frameworks, policies and institutions enabled to ensure the conservation, sustainable use, and access and benefit sharing of natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystems, in line with international conventions and national legislation. UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Category: UNDP Gender Marker: GEN2 Moderate risk Atlas Award ID number: 00097224 Atlas Output ID/Project ID number: 00101043 UNDP-GEF PIMS ID number: 5696 GEF ID number: 9193 Planned start date: January 1, 2018 Planned end date: December 31, 2022 LPAC date: TBD Brief project description: Kazakhstan has approximately 12.6 million hectares of forest, which makes it one of the most forest-rich countries in Eurasia, despite the fact that its forests amount to only 4.6% of the national territory. Approximately 95% of Kazakhstan’s forests are managed by 123 state forestry entities, which are overseen by regional governments (akimats). Under the current forest governance system, forestry entities lack sufficient capacity to effectively manage HCVF, including those forests neighboring highly biodiverse protected areas. 1 | P a g e Kazakhstan’s protected area system covers approximately 24,018,800 ha, or 8.81% (as of 2015) of the total country, although only 5% of Kazakhstan’s forests are included within protected areas. Therefore, forest ecosystems are underrepresented in the national protected area systems. Kazakhstan has three main forest ecosystem types: alpine forests, tugai (riparian) forests, and saxaul landscapes (desert and semi-desert shrubs). The project strategy is to holistically address the conservation and sustainable use of forest ecosystems in Kazakhstan, through management approaches including both protected areas and sustainable use of associated HCVF landscapes. Many forest ecosystems in Kazakhstan have mixed landcover (forest and pasture) and mixed- use (i.e. pastoralism in forest pastures) characteristics. Therefore, the project is also applying an integrated landscape management approach by targeting sustainable land management practices within forest landscapes. The project is structured in three components: • Component 1. Improved representation of globally important forest biodiversity and improved management of protected conservation-important forests • Component 2. Better integration of forest PAs in wider landscape, including enabling environment for sustainable management of conservation-important ecosystems • Component 3. International cooperation and knowledge management On the ground, the project will work primarily in three regions covering multiple landscapes: • East Kazakhstan Province: Altai mountain forests, Saur and Tarbagatai mountain forests • Almaty Province: Zhetysu Alatau mountain forests, Northern/Central Tian Shan mountain forests, Ile river basin tugai forests, Ile river basin saxaul zones • South Kazakhstan: Western Tien Shan mountain forests, Syr Darya river tugai forests FINANCING PLAN GEF Trust Fund $8,069,178 USD UNDP Cash Co-financing $200,000 USD Cash co-financing to be administered by UNDP $0 USD (1) Total Budget administered by UNDP $8,269,178 USD PARALLEL CO-FINANCING (all other co-financing that is not cash co-financing administered by UNDP) Forest and Wildlife Committee $70,510,507 of the Ministry of Agriculture Institute of Zoology $59,249 Almaty Province $8,229,217 East Kazakhstan Province $7,177,711 CSO - WWF $318,992 CSO - ACBK $300,000 (2) Total co-financing $86,795,676 (3) Grand-Total Project Financing (1)+(2) $94,864,854 SIGNATURES Signature: Agreed by Date/Month/Year: Mr. G. Sadibekov Government Vice-Minister of Energy, GEF FP Signature: Agreed by Date/Month/Year: Mr. Y. Nysanbayev Implementing Vice-Minister of Agriculture Partner Signature: Agreed by UNDP Date/Month/Year: Ms. M. Altangerel UNDP Deputy Resident Representative 2 | P a g e I TABLE OF CONTENTS I Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................... 3 II Development Challenge ......................................................................................................................................... 5 III Strategy ................................................................................................................................................................. 8 IV Results and Partnerships .................................................................................................................................... 12 IV.i Expected Results: .......................................................................................................................................... 12 IV.ii Partnerships ................................................................................................................................................. 26 IV.iii Beneficiaries ................................................................................................................................................ 28 IV.iv Stakeholder engagement ............................................................................................................................ 29 IV.v Mainstreaming gender ................................................................................................................................. 31 IV.vi South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTrC) ....................................................................................... 35 V Feasibility ............................................................................................................................................................. 35 V.i Cost efficiency and effectiveness ................................................................................................................... 35 V.ii Risk Management .......................................................................................................................................... 36 V.iii Social and Environmental Safeguards .......................................................................................................... 37 V.iv Sustainability and Scaling Up ........................................................................................................................ 37 VI Project Results Framework ................................................................................................................................. 39 VII Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan ............................................................................................................. 49 VIII Governance and Management Arrangements ................................................................................................. 53 IX Financial Planning and Management .................................................................................................................. 56 X Total Budget and Work Plan ................................................................................................................................ 60 XI Legal Context ...................................................................................................................................................... 66 XII Annexes ............................................................................................................................................................. 67 XII.i Annex A. Multi Year Work Plan .................................................................................................................... 68 XII.ii Annex B. Monitoring Plan ............................................................................................................................ 76 XII.iii Annex C: Evaluation Plan ............................................................................................................................ 85 XII.iv Annex D. GEF Tracking Tools for Baseline .................................................................................................. 87 XII.v Annex E. Terms of Reference for Project Board, Project Manager, and other positions ............................ 89 XII.vi Annex F. UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Protocol ................................................................